The demand for professional nurses is increasing rapidly in the job market. With increasing demand of the profession there general pay scale is also rising and so are the numbers of students planning to join a nursing program. Nursing is a field so diverse that it offers about 1500 hundred different courses to choose from. Nursing courses are expensive to pursue and a scholarship, grant or student loan is generally required by students to pay for their study costs. This article highlights some of the financial aids available to nursing students.

American Association of Colleges of Nursing offers scholarships to nursing students that cover tuition fees and some other expenses. You must visit the website of the association, as they also provide information on scholarship programs offered by all nursing colleges across America.

You can also apply for federal student aid program run by US Department of Education by filling the FAFSA Form (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). The scholarship covers your tuition fees.

The Health Professions Preparatory Scholarship Program offers scholarships to compensatory or pre-professional education to qualify for enrollment in a health profession school. The amount of scholarship is $1,160/month for 10 months.

Indian Nurse Scholarship Awards provide financial aid to Indian students pursuing nursing courses in America. The amount of this scholarship is $500 to $1,500.

If you belong to one of the minority communities (Hispanic or African American) living in United States you may also qualify for minority nursing scholarship programs run by some organization. If you apply for such a program you will be at advantage because you will face less competition. Some of the popular minority nursing scholarships are discussed below.

NBNA Board of Directors Scholarship offers financial assistance to nursing students from African American community. Awards range from $500 to $2,000 for one year of study.

Ethnic Minority Bachelor’s Scholarship in Oncology Nursing is a program that offers a $2000 scholarship to ethnic minorities interested in careers in oncology nursing each year.

The National Association of Hispanic Nurses Scholarship is a$1000 scholarship awarded to Hispanic students who are members of the association.

In addition to the programs mentioned in this article many nursing colleges also offer confirm discounts to every student joining a course in nursing at their college, but these discounts are only of 10% to 30% of the tuition fees. With some effort over the internet you can also find hundreds of other programs that offer assistance to nursing students.